ericlustbader.the ninja-第62章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　But　the　Colonel　could　not　give　up；　even　now；　it　was　simply　not　in　his　nature　to　contemplate　such　a　thing。　He　had　thought　that　he　had　been　cleverer　than　all　the　rest；　he　had　an　ace　to　play；　after　all；　that　the　others　knew　nothing　about。
　It　seems；　he　thought；　that　I've　played　the　game　and　lost。　The　fox　somehow　outsmarted　me。　But　it's　not　over　yet。　It　can't　be。　I　won't　let　it。
　The　germ　of　the　idea　had　e　to　him　the　day　after　Satsugai　had　been　arrested　by　the　SCAP　Military　Police　late　in　1946。　Ostensibly；　there　was　nothing　the　Colonel　could　do　about　it。　Satsugai　was　well　known　in　Japan；　a　powerful　reactionary　who　was　head　of　one　of　the　monstrous　zaibatsu　bines。　It　was　inevitable　that　he　should　e　under　suspicion　and；　subsequently；　be　arrested　as　a　war　criminal。
　Itami　withstood　the　shame　stoically；　as　she　withstood　everything　else　in　life。　But　Cheong　was　hysterical。　That　night；　as　they　lay　in　bed；　she　pleaded　with　the　Colonel　to　intervene。　He　was　high　up　in　the　SCAP　hierarchy；　an　adviser　to　General　MacArthur　himself。　Surely　there　was　some　way　he　could　help　Satsugai。
　'My　darling；'　he　had　said；　'matters　are　not　as　simple　as　that。　This　is　a　highly　charged　time。　Besides；'　he　added　reasonably；　'Satsugai　may　indeed　be　guilty　of　all　they　say　he　is。'
　But　this　only　served　to　infuriate　Cheong　further。　'It　does　not　matter；'　she　said　simply。　'He　is　family。'
　'You　mean　therefore　he　is　no　criminal？'
　'Yes。'
　'Darling；　you're　talking　foolishness。'
　'Maybe　so。'　Her　voice　was　quite　serious；　containing　the　undercurrent　of　strength　the　Colonel　recognized。　'But　I　tell　you　that　your　duty　is　to　your　family　and　if　there　is　a　way　to　help　Satsugai　you　must　do　it。　Kakujin　wa　hombun　wo　tsukusa　neba　narimasen。'　Everyone　must　do　his　duty。
　Cheong　is　a　most　intelligent　person；　the　Colonel　thought；　but　she　can　be　inordinately　stubborn　at　times。　He　had　known　there　was　no　way　to　deflect　her　from　her　purpose；　knew；　too；　that　there　would　be　no　peace　for　him　at　home　until　he　had　proved　to　her　that　he　had　done　his　best　to　enforce　his　influence。
　He　had　fallen　asleep　with　that　thought　in　his　mind　and　had　awakened　just　before　dawn　with　the　idea　blooming　already。
　There　was　a　way　to　free　Satsugai；　he　was　quite　certain　of　that　now；　but　to　implement　the　plan　would　involve　tremendous　risk。　He　had　no　doubt　that　he　could　talk　the　SCAP　tribunal　into　going　along　with　him。　It　was　purely　a　matter　of　whether　he　wanted　to　go　ahead　with　it。
　In　the　end；　he　knew　he　had　little　choice。　He　already　understood　the　precariousness　of　the　advisory　board　of　which　he　was　a　member　and　now　he　thought　of　his　plan　as　a　kind　of　insurance　policy　against　the　day　his　job　should　go　sour。
　He　knew　a　good　deal　about　Satsugai's　background；　in　fact　a　good　deal　more　than　Satsugai　himself　was　aware。　The　Fukuoka　connection　was　too　obvious　to　ignore。　The　Genyosha　had　never　been　an　outlaw　organization　in　Japan；　records　were　not　too　difficult　to　unearth。　The　Colonel　had　taken　a　clandestine　trip　south　to　Kyushu　and　had　found　out　the　truth。　Satsugai　was　a　Genyosha　leader。
　At　this　particular　point　in　time；　that　sort　of　information　was　incendiary。　If　it　came　to　the　attention　of　the　SCAP　tribunal；　it　would　not　matter　how　many　incriminating　documents　Satsugai　had　destroyed　in　time；　he　would　be　executed。
　However；　the　Colonel　had　absolutely　no　intention　of　divulging　that　piece　of　information　to　anyone。　In　any　event；　Satsugai's　death　would　serve　no　purpose。　The　society　would　simply　elevate　another　member　and　go　on　with　its　work。　That　work　was　totally　counterproductive　to　what　the　Colonel　perceived　as　the　correct　course　towards　Japan's　future。　He　wanted　the　Genyosha　destroyed。　If　Satsugai　were　exonerated；　he　would　be　a　dog　on　a　leash　…　the　end　of　which　the　Colonel　had　firm　hold　of。　Sooner　or　later；　Satsugai　would　lead　the　Colonel　home　to　the　centre　of　the　Genyosha。
　The　Colonel　turned　his　gaze　from　the　weeping　glass　into　the　warmth　of　his　study。　He　watched　the　slanted　Mongol　eyes　of　his　adversary；　so　well　trained　that　he　could　see　nothing　below　the　surface；　nothing　that　the　man　did　not　want　him　to　see。
　It　seems　a　long　time　ago；　the　Colonel　thought　now；　that　I　let　him　go　and　he　has　led　me　nowhere。　He　has　known　from　the　beginning。　He　knew　what　I　wanted。　I　have　managed　to　neutralize　him　as　a　force　but　he　has　otherwise　stymied　me。　The　Colonel　felt　a　deep　sadness　inside　himself。　It　was　always　his　game　to　win；　he　thought。　I　was　a　fool　to　think　otherwise。
　That　Satsugai　hated　him　came　as　no　surprise　to　the　Colonel。　After　all；　they　were　from　opposite　sides　of　the　political　spectrum。　And　while　the　Colonel　understood　better　than　any　Westerner　in　Japan　the　importance　of　the　maintenance　of　its　traditions；　its　heritage；　knowing　that　without　those　things　the　country　would　disintegrate；　yet　he　also　understood　that　the　kind　of　traditionalism　that　Satsugai　represented　was　as　evil　and　self…serving　as　anything　in　Japan　could　be。　This　was　a　country　of　heroes；　he　knew；　not　of　villains。　Those　were　few　and　far　between。　At　that　moment；　as　he　stared　into　those　baleful　eyes　across　the　warm　expanse　of　his　study；　the　Colonel　knew　that　he　had　missed　something　elementary　in　the　puzzle。　There　was　a　piece　missing　that　was；　he　was　convinced；　the　key　to　it　all。　He　had　believed　that　he　had　pierced　Satsugai's　secret　life　many　years　ago　and　all　his　actions　since　then　had　stemmed　from　that　assumption。　He　now　suspected　that　assumption；　was　angry　at　himself　for　having　been　so　easily　fooled。　He　played　with　me　as　if　I　were　a　child；　the　Colonel　thought　furiously。
　It　gave　him　little　fort　at　the　moment　that；　by　his　intervening；　he　had　put　Satsugai　in　an　agonizing　situation。　He　was　in　debt　to　the　Colonel；　a　man　he　despised。　It　was　an　intolerable　situation　for　a　Japanese；　yet　Satsugai　bore　it　well。　I　have　to　give　him　that；　the　Colonel　thought。
　My　God；　he　thought；　what　is　it　that　he　has　hidden　from　me　all　these　years？　The　old　warrior　is　shrewd　yet。　And　then　the　Colonel　understood　what　he　must　do。　There　had　already　been　too　much　time　wasted　in　an　obviously　fruitless　plot。　He　had；　as　Satsugai　himself　had　just　said；　to　face　reality。　And　the　reality　of　this　situation　was　that　he　must　break　the　stalemate　in　whatever　way　was　possible。　There　was　only　one　way　now。
　The　Colonel　knew　only　too　well　that；　as　far　as　Satsugai　was　concerned；　he　was　invulnerable。　He　could；　for　instance；　insult　Satsugai　and　the　other　would　not　…　could　not　…　take　action　against　him。　There　was　an　obligation　to　be　met。　Satsugai　must　grin　and　bear　it。　The　reverse；　however；　did　not　hold　true。
　For　a　brief　moment；　the　Colonel　was　filled　with　a　deep　regret。　Nicholas　was　still　so　young。　There　had　been　so　little　time　and　there　were　promises　he　had　made　that　could　not　now　be　kept。
　The　Colonel　stared　out　at　the　wide　expanse　of　his　property；　the　trees　dripping　with　moisture；　bending　in　the　wind。　He　looked　for　the　wren　but　it　had　long　gone；　perhaps　preferring　the　storm　to　idleness。　So　much　beauty　out　there；　but　this　day　he　could　feel　no　joy。
　'What　have　you　learned　from　the　Go　Rin　No　Sho？'　Kansatsu　said　one　day　at　the　dojo。
　'Some　of　it　is　obviously　quite　useful；'　Nicholas　said；　'though　it's　mostly　mon　sense。'
　'Many　consider　it　a　revelatory　work。'　Kansatsu's　tone　was　entirely　neutral；　giving　Nicholas　no　clue　as　to　whether　or　not　he　thought。　it　was　so　important。　His　eyes　glittered　like　glass；　quite　opaque。　Behind　him　the　long　afternoon　slid　into　the　muffled　mauve　of　twilight。　The　sun　was　lost　in　a　steep　bank　of　haze；　the　resulting　light；　reflective　and　diffuse；　suffused　the　sky；　laminated　the　trees　until　the　world　seemed　monochromatic。
　'I　almost　wish　you　hadn't　given　it　to　me。'
　'Could　you　be　more　specific？'
　'Well；　there　is　something　…　I　don't　know　…　disturbing　about　it。'
　Kansatsu　said　nothing；　merely　stood　waiting。　Behind　him；　the　soft　clash　of　bokken；　the　exhaled　breaths　in　unison；　filled　the　place。
　'Some　might　say　its　purity　is　its　ultimate　virtue；'　Nicholas　said　carefully。　'But；　to　me；　it's　more　of　a　monomania。　There　is　something　intrinsically　dangerous　in　that。'
　'Can　you　tell　me　what；　precisely？'
　'Exclusion。'
　As　if　he　had　been　thinking　of　this　all　the　time；　Kansatsu　said；。'　Do　you　know　anything　of　the　life　of　Musashi？'
　'Not　real